Chinese Embassy in the United States HostedA Gathering of Families to Celebrate the Lunar Chinese New Year

2018/02/15

On February 12, 2018, the Chinese Embassy in the United States hosted a gathering of families to celebrate the lunar Chinese New Year, for the U.S. families with adopted children from China. More than 300 people of around 70 families from Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia attended the event.

Minister Li Kexin of the Chinese Embassy delivered remarks. On behalf of Ambassador Cui Tiankai, all the Chinese diplomats and their families, he welcomed the guest to the embassy.

Minister Li said, I would like to pay a cordial respect to all the adoptive parents with us here today. Thanks to your unselfish compassion, love and commitment, your children will grow up healthy and happy. Despite being thousands of miles away from their birth place, you have created a loving and caring home for them here in America. And I think you would all agree that your children have brought much joy and love to your families, and opened a window to China for you. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the two adoption institutions who have so generously partnered with us on today’s gathering, “Cradle of Hope Adoption Center” and “The Barker Adoption Foundation”. Without your professional and reliable assistance, it would have been impossible for these Chinese children and their American parents to have met each other and jointly built their families. They deserve a big applause.

Minister Li said to the adopted children, you are all very lucky to spend your childhood with your caring families in this wonderful country. You have good reason to be proud of your loving family and America. Meanwhile, it’s also important for you to learn and understand your birth place—China, a great country with a long history, brilliant culture, beautiful scenery and industrious people. In order to let you experience how Chinese families celebrate our new year, we have set up some Chinese cultural activities and exhibitions, such as acrobatics, Sichuan Opera Face-changing, martial arts, calligraphy performance, paper-cutting and more. I am also glad to introduce to you some of our diplomats’ children. Among them, the little kids from the Embassy's Sunshine School will give performance later, and the bigger ones will serve as the exhibition helper. I believe you can make very good friends with each other.

Minister Li said, Chinese and American people maintained a great friendship in the past decades. I believe you have a unique opportunity to help the China-US friendship prosper in the future and help serve as a bridge for cooperation between our two countries. We are inspired by your eagerness to explore Chinese culture, and excited to hear that some of you and your families are already studying Mandarin. Our embassy is committed to helping you learn more about what kind of country China is and how Chinese people live their everyday lives.

Minister Li concluded his remarks with new year wishes. He said the Spring Festival, also called the Chinese Lunar New Year, is only 4 days away. 2018 in the Chinese Lunar Calendar is the year of the dog, which represents loyalty and fortune. Like Americans, Chinese people also treasure our family traditions and take the eve of the Lunar New Year as the most important occasion to reunite with our loved ones. Love is the universal language, and family knows no national boundary. I hope everyone will feel the love of family in this gathering, and wish you have a wonderful time. Happy New Year!

Being proud that his family includes a daughter who was adopted from China, he said, “I’m grateful that the immigrant in my family comes from China and connects our family with the great stories in China”.